sustainable living in the great white North

Earthbag Building Tips

I was asked the other day whether I had any advice or tips for earthbag building. I’ve copied some items from a previous article I’d written and added to it. These are some of the (often hard earned) lessons we’ve learned and suggestions based on our experience:

*Build a ‘trial’ structure first if at all possible. It can be a shed, a sauna- just something small that you can get some practice in on. The time it will take to build something small will undoubtedly pay off in time saved (and lessons learned) on your future home.

*Nail down the barbed wire to keep it from moving, fence staples work really well. There’s a tip for holding down wire using twine and bricks in Doni and Kaki’s “Earthbag Building” book that’ll work if you’re really trying to keep costs to a minimum but our own experience is that the staples are worth the cost.

*Rinse the cement mixer immediately after use, and at least once during the day, for easier cleaning. Don’t own a cement mixer? Seriously consider buying a small one- the time you’ll save is more than worth the couple hundred dollars you’ll spend. It’s my favourite tool.

*Mix gravel and cement first, dry, and then add clay- so that the clay doesn’t just stick to itself. Presift the clay into wheelbarrows so that there’s lots on hand.

*Be careful with moisture content. You want the mix damp enough that it will form a brick once tamped, but not wet enough that water leaks from the bag when tamped, or wet enough that the bag changes shape under pressure.

*Tamp the sides of tubes/bags, not just the top. This will eliminate that wavy look that you see on some buildings and drastically cut your plaster.

*Always feel the mix with your bare hands, soil-clay and gravel may differ slightly from mix to mix. Wear gloves in between to avoid rubbing the skin right off your hands.

*Trust your instincts and communicate (e.g if the mix feels wrong, even if you’re not the one mixing, mention it).

*Cut tubes a little long if using tubing. If you’re using bags- turn them inside out and stack them ahead of time.

*Fill tubes straight, and twist along arc. Don’t try to fill them ‘on a curve’.

*Use good weather and daylight for building, bad weather and evenings for prep and planning. Have a well formulated “to-do-list” and check it often.

*Don’t make plans/commitments during the building season and be prepared to be a weather watcher. No matter what amount of time you’ve ‘reserved’ for building- it will probably take longer than that.

*Scavenge throughout the year- start now. Instead of strictly looking for things that you know you need, ask yourself “what could this be?” about the materials you come across. You may be surprised.

*Prepare meals ahead of time. There is nothing quite like putting in 12 hour days on the site only to have to come inside and prepare dinner instead of collapsing in front of an already made meal.

*Get in shape prior to the build. Unless you’re one of the lucky ones, with a team of six or more people- this is going to hurt. Better to be prepared for it.

*Mix up tasks to work different muscles. Prepare mixes for a while, tamp for a while, sift clay for a while- even watering the garden occasionally will help keep your body as strong as possible for the work day.

*Lower levels can be worked by a single person but the higher you go, the more likely it is that you need a partner.

*Remember the importance of compression. Do not tamp 2 or 3 bags at a time because you’ll lose some of that tension. I did that once I got up fairly high on the wall because it was easier to manage alone but the rows did not come out as strong and sections had to be replaced. Also- if you have to leave a row unfinished- tamp a puzzle like shape into the end of the bag where you’re leaving off. This will give your next bag something to key into when you come back to it.

*If you get summers like ours, you’ll be tempted to wear sandals instead of a heavier shoe. My experience with this is that sandals can get stuck on barbed wire and come right off on the wall, leaving you barefoot and navigating a barbed wire wall, quite possibly while carrying heavy loads. Equally fun and considerably more painful- accidentally tamping bare toes.

*Round is sound- round rooms are the strongest you can build, but make sure to use a centre pole. Check and recheck your measurements on a regular basis. If you are doing straight walls, make sure to check they are actually straight as you continue adding rows and build in buttressing to support the walls. Don’t attempt irregularly shaped rooms. We haven’t tried them ourselves but from what we’ve seen of others’ experience, it rarely works out well.

*Stagger (offset) bags from row to row to add strength to your walls.

*Plaster as you go, every few rows or so. You need to protect your bags from UV damage but you also don’t want to be trying to plaster extremely large areas in one shot, because again- it’ll take more time than you’ve estimated.

*Chances are you will have some sections that are a little low, or a little high. It happens. If you’re a bit low overstuff the bag that lies above it, tamping the mix into the bag as you go, so that it tamps down a little less than a ‘regular’ bag once you lay it. Conversely, pack the bag a little looser for a thinner bag.

*Bear in mind that the window and door forms are going to have a lot of pressure (from tamping) coming in on them. Put supports inside the forms to keep them from warping. Also- build your doorways wide enough to fit any furniture or appliances through (oops!).

*If you are at all lacking confidence in producing your own building plans along with all of the accompanying calculations, there are some very good and extremely reasonably priced plans on the Earthbag Building site, available either in PDF format or AutoCAD files.

*If you are producing your own plans- plan for everything. You want to consider everything from sun angle (for solar gain), to predominant winds (for passive cooling and ventilation), venting for batteries if you’re going off-grid, building in nooks for storage of aesthetic purposes, views from windows, water capture, proximity to other structures on the property… There is a lot to take into consideration, from site selection to the actual building. Take your time and review your plans several times.

*I’ve found that my work day passes a lot more quickly when I have my MP3 player loaded up with a mix of interesting podcasts and good music. A bit of a side-note, if you’re going to work in your underwear and wear headphones it’s a good idea to look up every now and then to make sure you’re still alone. Then again, you’ll get your road graded a lot more often if you disregard this tip.

* Also, the Wonderwoman (or Superman) complex that you will inevitably develop after a really good period of building is a little dangerous to entertain for extended periods of time. My new rules include: if there’s blood involved it’s a good time to break, and if it really hurts try not to do it more than three times in a row.

I think that’s about all that I have. The earlier in the season that you start building, the better obviously. Things like rain-days and days when the temperature is above 35 degrees will definitely impact your plans, as will unexpected injuries. Leave yourself as much room as possible.

Oh, and don’t forget to congratulate yourself on a regular basis. You’re doing something a lot of people will never experience- you rock! Happy building!

Related

18 Responses

Thanks for the great tips ! Do you have any tips or recommendations related to building codes, permits or dealing with building officials ? I know each state or province is different but what did you have to go through prior to starting your build ? If you have already written a post about this please direct me…

Your new earth bag home looks nice. I was wondering what sort of insulation you used for the dome shelter, or you just use the earth bags as they are.

I am attempting to write a half ass short story, about some dude who is making himself a earth bag home.

By the way, your dome shelter would be cozy.

I am thinking that earth bag shelter would work in such remote places as Peawanuck Ontario. less ground moisture, frosty climate in winter time. As for northern communities located in swamp lands, decent drainage might in order.

We don’t have much traditional insulation save for in the ceiling. We’ve taken a different approach. We’ve sunken the whole house about 3 feet into the ground and will berm up the north and west sides of the building, as well as part-way around the east side for protection from the elements. We only have windows on the south side of the building- they’re positioned in such a way as to take full advantage of the winter sun but are protected from the high summer sun. We’ll have a wood burning stove and rocket mass heater for heat the first year and we’ll determine next winter whether anything else is required.

Hope you have fun writing your story! Let me know if you publish it online, I’m sure it will be interesting. 🙂

Oh by the way, if you’re going with a wood burning stove. Here’s a tip and a reminder when using a wood stove. Don’t put too much logs in your wood stove that can be dangerous and a fire hazard. So never stuff the wood stove with logs.

Before going to bed, put two large fire wood logs in your wood stove, depending how large your wood stove is. And let the logs burn slowly. Split ones work well.

I think people sell dry fire wood that are already split. As for splitting wood, you or your mate can use an axe, a wedge along with a sledge hammer. A wedge and axe are useful tools in addition to an axe. Manual labour is good for the soul. when chopping wood, keep your feet away about a good one and half foot away from the dry fire wood. A wood stump would also be helpful when using an axe, or wedge and sledge.

splitting fire wood into smaller logs are good for starter fire. you can place two split logs when the fire is going or place two split logs on top of the split smaller fire wood logs and light the sucker up. be sure to allow some air for the smaller ones. cardboard box, or several twisted newspaper sheets.

before switching from wood burning stove to electric baseboard heating. I use my wood stove to brew some tea. I think you can brew coffee or tea on it.

Barry.

by the way, when you have a new wood stove, its best to fire the sucker up first time. Open the windows and doors to allow the smoke from the woodstove itself out of the earth bag house. let the fire burn itself out. That way, your home won’t be like inside of the smoke house. And the woodstove would serve you well.

Awesome tips! We’re still trying to decide between earthbag and cordwood so I’m trying to learn as much about both techniques as possible. I want the earthbags, but I’m concerned about all of the huge windows we already have compromising the structural integrity. The hubby likes cordwood infill, so maybe we’ll make a hybrid building? Anyway, I love what you’re doing! I’ve been silently following for a while going through all of your old posts and learning what I can from you!

Cordwood is a beautiful option too! A friend’s parents are building with cordwood in Northern Alberta. I get the concern with the windows- the extension that we’re adding this year will have a massive window that we’ll undoubtedly have to wood frame that section. The others worked out well with grader blades above them. Whatever you end up doing, keep in touch- I’d love to hear how you make out! 🙂

By the way, I almost forgot how thick are those bags. Looks more than a foot thick, about eighteen inches thick. I read that you just used the standard sand, clay and gravel mix, without the cement.

Still the earth bag house looks cool. Not to mention, one sturdy shelter.

I have been reading your blog, part of it. Still reading more. In regards to my hometown of Attawapiskat. the floor would have to be raised about one and half foot. I think earth bag house could work up here. Build during the summer and fall.

But I would have to rule out perlite, permice and scoria as insulation. those things would be pricey due to shipping costs. Use the standard gravel, sand and clay.

Sorry so long in responding- my wordpress comments ended up in my junk mail folder for some reason. We got our bags from Superpoly in Edmonton (there are warehouses in Saskatoon and Winnipeg as well). A good plaster book is “The Natural Plaster Book”, but really with natural plasters the best thing to do is practice, practice, practice. No book (in my experience) will get you exactly there. And if you’re in a high humidity or rain fall area- lime is the way to go, rather than cement, for long term durability.

Hello
I am Jae myung JANG and I’m going on the group project for building the economical house with sandbag in Cameroon in Africa. We study in HEI engineering university in France. We haven’t been to Africa, so we have no idea about a situation for actual site. During the searching step we found your project, and we are interested in your 10×10 Sandbag House Project in Cape Town in South Africa. So, we would like to get more information about that or about sandbag house. That’s why I contact you. Can I get the response for below questions?
– Are there special technics for building sandbag house in South Africa, and what are these, how does it work if there are? (We want the more professional and practical information that we can’t find on internet..)
– Can I get some documents such as Plan, Section, Elevation, Exact site for the building of the 10×10 Sandbag House Project in Cape Town?
– We need the features of the project, and if it possible we would like to get documents of another project such as Plan, Section, Elevation..
– We think it’s better to build the house with 2 floors. If you know more advanced technics for building 2 floors house that we can’t find on internet easily, I would like get information about it.
– If it possible, we can go there to see the building. Plus, can we work with you there? I hope to receive your answer soon.
Because we find a site to build sandbag houses.

I’m sorry that I don’t have any advice for you. Our only experience is in Canada. Maybe direct your inquiries to Owen or Kelly over at the Natural Building Blog. They’re quite a bit more knowledgeable on building in different climates and have a much more extensive network: http://www.naturalbuildingblog.com/

First let me say thank you for all the tips and advice about this great building medium. I am currently working on something big in my community. I am in the process of drafting a proposal to town council to make changes to the zoning and building bylaws that restrict under 1000 sq ft homes and homes built by earthbag. I get to go before council Dec 17th of this year, and I am currently gathering as much data as I can to put this thing together.
I have a few questions so I hope you will bear with me, I don’t want a weak proposal being what prevents this change that has such far ranging implications.
You’ve built your earthbag home in the north, I happen to live in Chetwynd BC Canada, the peace region of British Columbia.
I have researched quite a bit about this method of construction and have come across many studies that suggest this is method is adaptable to cold climates. What I haven’t come across though is many people who have actually built in a place with cold temperatures or high winds.
Any information you can provide about your process; if you did or didn’t get a permit, what your building codes were so I could compare, what style of roof did you go with and did you use a concrete bond beam? Did you have to provide an engineered plan?
Really, anything you could tell me, show me, etc would be a huge help.
I am starting to get quite a bit of interest about what I’m trying to do both locally, nationally and internationally through various permaculture groups and natural building groups and have been asked to share not only the presentation once it is complete but the video of the council meeting and any subsequent information from the municipal body. In sharing all of this information I intend on making it easier for people to see how I got approved in town if I do, and thusly do it for themselves where they live or if I don’t get approved, allow for everyone to take the good parts out of the proposal and add to it so we can try again.
I have a copy of my first draft, without the case studies, statistics, pictures and videos that I’m presenting on powerpoint or similar program, if anyone is interested in seeing what I’m up to. I welcome input from anyone and hope that we can create more interest. If I can prove to council that there is a very broad spectrum of interest internationally, I may be able to get them on board easier.
Thank you for your time and anticipated response.
Chris Phelps

Oh dear- well I hope you weren’t counting on a timely response. Sorry- I haven’t been maintaining this site for a while now. I’m afraid I’m of no help as far as codes are concerned. As far as these types of buildings in colder climates- they’re just fine based on our experience of living in one going on our second winter here. A good heating system is absolutely necessary- as with any Canadian home- but we lose heat a lot slower than traditional homes. The walls are massive, no pun intended. If we’re away, the old “traditional” house loses heat and gets considerably colder than the earthbag house even without a fire burning. (I’ve compared the two.) We insulated the ceilings but not the walls. The house is dug into the ground a couple of feet. And we don’t have any windows on the north side in addition to having bermed it as per recommendations for our climate. My most recent post (my only recent post) discusses the down-side of this though: namely humidity. We have a traditional roof and traditional insulation- built after we discovered that the flat roof wasn’t going to work for us with natural plaster. Then again, we’d never do natural plaster again because it requires ongoing maintenance (a little less with a roof with a good overhang but maintenance nonetheless). A bit of cement, as much as it goes against the whole “natural building” movement, is well worth it in my opinion. (There was no bond beam- we built the flat roof on top of the round rooms, locked them down with a ring of bags. The structure was entirely solid and we built the “next” roof on top of that.) I’m not sure if that helps at all. Best of luck with your endeavours!